This startup uncovers hidden gems in Japan’s hotel network

A hotel in Kobe

Traveling in Japan as a visitor, or even as a long-term resident, is a hassle. There is no shortage of travel websites but their usefulness can be contested. Local leaders like Jalan and Rakuten Travel have a fantastic wealth of information but next to no support for customers trying to figure out which hotel, precisely, is the best to stay at. Relux is trying to fix that.

Relux has a hand-selected library of high-quality (and generally high cost) hotels and ryokan across the country. Ryokan are inns often nestled off the beaten path (or simply in the woods) and known for their traditional-style architecture and amenities.

Though the service is still young, with more Facebook fans (about 190,000) than registered users (about 80,000), it has been getting investor attention. In September it received JPY 330 million (US$3.02 million) in a funding round led by Recruit Holdings. The site started in early 2013 and is operated by Loco Partners.

In general, Relux’s user interface is very smooth. Reservations can only be made by members but the sign-up process is painless, whether via email or Facebook. Once inside, one particularly nice touch is a “concierge” service that allows users to generally explain the sort of trip they want to take and get personalized advice as to which ryokan would be best to use.

That advice can come in handy since almost all of the exterior and interior photos seem to be ripped straight from a list of “Top 15 hotels to stay at before you die.”. Nice as they are, the sticker price of some of the hotels might shock you into an early grave. But there’s still a decent number of options for people lacking trust funds. The steepness of the prices works in Relux’s favor as the company takes 15 percent from the hotel fees.

A ryokan in Hyogo prefecture, in western Japan

Room to improve, room to grow

Though the service overall gets high marks for presentation and assistance, there are still a few points that need tweaking. In terms of navigation, Relux has eschewed the traditional map-based interface – click on pre-defined geographical sections to see local options – in favor of a purely text-based approach. That means users really need to know what prefectures and cities are in each region of the country.

This could be a tall order for native Japanese but is next to impossible for visitors. The issue is compounded by the other concerning point of the site – an incomplete English interface. For instance, 首都圏 from the Japanese site is spelled out phonetically as Syutoken in the English site. Unfortunately, Syutoken is just as indecipherable as the Japanese characters. A better translation would have been “Tokyo Metropolitan Area.”

Aside from the occasionally questionable word or phrase, Relux has a solid English interface. That interface does not extend to the concierge service, costing the company a nice opportunity to nab visitors to Japan who are ready to spend.

Considering the website is already available in 10 languages, the company definitely wants those customers. Speaking to Tech in Asia, Michiyasu Mitsui of Relux’s media production team confirmed as much, saying that the recent funding will help the company get more users from outside of Japan. The cash will also enable the company to boost its current roster of hotels and ryokan from 250 to 300 by the end of the year.

For now, Relux has its imperfections but it stands out as a travel site trying to be different from the market leaders who are too often aped by other startups. Most companies rejoice in being able to digitally provide information that used to be locked away by brick-and-morter travel agencies. That is indeed a fantastic feat.

However, due to information overload, many of those services are unable to provide their primary function – making trip planning a stress-free activity. On that point, Relux is hitting the mark far better than its more heralded rivals.

See: The future of online Asian travel isn’t up in the air; it’s buses, taxis, ferries, and trains

This startup uncovers hidden gems in Japan’s hotel network